UN delegation reaches Ukraine to investigate genocide, war crimes committed by Russia

A United Nations delegation has arrived in Ukraine to collect evidence of war crimes executed by Russian forces since the onset of the brutal war. According to the UN agency, the main task of the delegation is to identify suspects, collect evidence and prepare materials "so that no one can escape punishment". It said the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Ukraine's Parliament) assured the delegation of full cooperation in collecting all the evidence that can prove the brutality of Russian head Vladimir Putin.

As per the statement released on Saturday by Olena Kondratiuk, a Ukrainian politician and public relations specialist, the country's law enforcement is already investigating over 16,000 war crimes and crimes of aggression committed since February 24.

Besides, she informed the UN delegation will conduct a separate investigation on "genocide". Applauding the efforts of the International Criminal Court (ICC), she expressed gratitude to the 42 countries that voted in favour of conducting an investigation of war crimes. "We are also grateful to the ICC which conducts its own full-fledged investigation at the request of 42 countries. There are joint investigators and advisory groups that assist in the investigation of Russian war crimes in Ukraine," she said.

"We appreciate the position of all international partners who have joined and opened their own proceedings regarding the numerous crimes of the Russian Federation in Ukraine. We expect that the UN Commission will investigate all these crimes and give them their unanimous assessment," she added. Further, she maintained that the UN delegation will also conduct a separate investigation of violations of international law in the field of human rights and international humanitarian law in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts. 

What is UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine?

Notably, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine is an independent body mandated by the UN Human Rights Council. They will investigate all alleged violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, and related crimes in the context of the aggression against Ukraine by the Russian Federation. The team will also be responsible to establish the facts, circumstances and root causes of any such violations and abuses. "It will also collect, consolidate and analyse evidence of such violations and abuses, including their gender dimension, in view of any future legal proceedings," said the agency, in a statement released on June 3. After the assessment, the Commissioners will hold a press conference towards the conclusion of their mission on June 15. Subsequently, the Commission will submit reports of its activities to the General Assembly in October 2022, and to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2023.  

Image: AP/Олена Кондратюк/Facebook